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International Journal of
English Research
ARCHIVES
VOL. 12, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Morality, karma and obsession: An interdisciplinary analysis of Caroline kepnes’s You
Authors
Divya, Md Samaun Sk
Abstract

Novel, YOU written by Caroline kepnes, an American author, former entertainment reporter, screenwriter questions the morality and obsession of the protagonist, Joe Goldberg, through a single narrative that fluctuate between passion, self-justification and deception. This paper explores the morality, immorality, and amorality in YOU through the lens of Indian philosophical ethos with the Concepts such as Karma, self-realisation, detachment and moksha. Joe’s action demonstrates the irresistible consequences of karma, the cause of his actions is motivated by a wrong perception of dominance and love. Joe uses manipulation to defend his behaviour in order to keep his relationships with the characters in the story and with himself intact. His ridiculous actions, which disregard his feelings and compassion, also heighten the suspense throughout the book. This novel also questions the inability to understand and interrogate the questions of desire, lust, passion, control and his inability to understand the short comings of the actions. The researcher used a qualitative method to study the text from a stream-of-consciousness perspective by applying a textual analysis method.

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Pages:25-29
How to cite this article:
Divya, Md Samaun Sk "Morality, karma and obsession: An interdisciplinary analysis of Caroline kepnes’s You". International Journal of English Research, Vol 12, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 25-29
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